Liberia: Moving Up in the Ranks

Stung by worldwide condemnation of the seaside executions in
April 1980 that followed his ouster of President William R. Tolbert,
Liberia's new head of state, Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe, promised a
quick return to civilian rule and a halt to the killings. Seventeen
months later, Doe, 30, remains in powerand the killing has resumed.
In June, 13 soldiers were executed after confessing to a plot to
overthrow Doe and his People's Redemption Council (P.R.C.). Last month
five members of the P.R.C. itself, including Doe's deputy, Thomas Weh
Syen, were shot after a...